Systems and method for ridesharing using blockchain

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed describing ridesharing using blockchain. Example methods may include determining a state associated with a user of a ridesharing vehicle from at least one first device associated with the ridesharing vehicle; identifying a confirmation of the state by one or more second devices; and adding a transaction to a blockchain, the transaction comprising a description of the state, the confirmation, and a link to a trip footage of the state.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, andcomputer-readable media for ridesharing, and in particular, forridesharing using blockchain.

BACKGROUND

The increase in networking and electronic connectivity has led toincreased commercial activity in conventional ridesharing and autonomousvehicle ridesharing applications. However, conventional mobileapplication-based ridesharing approaches may have some potentialdownsides. For example, as relates to information on the availability torideshare, mobile application-based ridesharing approaches may begenerally directed toward enabling trips for commuting. Accordingly,ridesharing may not be available at all times of the day and for longerand/or shorter distances than predetermined thresholds. Moreover, withconventional ridesharing systems, drivers may use dash cameras allowingdrivers to livestream video of riders in an unauthorized manner.Accordingly, such conventional systems may not offer adequate controlover when and where scenes are recorded on video and may be unable tocontrol access to the video.

Conventional systems may further provide limited safety features such asfraud protection. For example, a driver may fraudulently claim that arider of the ridesharing vehicle damaged the interior (e.g., bycommitting acts of vandalism or by vomiting). Additionally, conventionalridesharing systems may provide little or no protection from dangeroussituations for passengers and/or drivers, such as assault, kidnapping,and other criminal actions. Further, conventional mobileapplication-based ridesharing approaches may not necessarily facilitaterider and driver experiences with the vehicle, including infotainmentand dynamic social experiences. Conventional ridesharing implementationsmay lack the information, connectivity, safety, and social experiencefeatures made possible by technology integrated with the vehicle.

Therefore, what are needed are systems and methods for enhancingridesharing systems and methods, for example, using blockchaintechnology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an example usage scenario for ridesharing using blockchain,in accordance with example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram representing how blockchain can be used to recordridesharing-related transactions via devices on a network, in accordancewith example embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 show example process flows describing a method for ridesharingusing blockchain, in accordance with example embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an example autonomous vehicle (AV)that can provide ridesharing services using blockchain using thedisclosed systems and methods, in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example server architecture forone or more servers that can be used for providing ridesharing servicesusing blockchain, in accordance with one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

Artificial intelligence (AI) can include computer-implemented techniquesand systems that seek to mimic human decision-making using data.Blockchain can represent a technology that can decentralize data controlbetween nodes on a network, generate and examine immutable records on apublic ledger, and exchange assets between the nodes. Blockchain canrefer to a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked toone another using cryptographic techniques. AI and blockchain can beused together to perform collaborative learning without using acentralized data store, to detect security concerns on the network ofnodes, to improve hash-function privacy, and to predict a likelihood ofa node fulfilling certain tasks. As detailed below, systems and methodsare described whereby AI and blockchain are used to facilitateridesharing applications with vehicles. In particular, the disclosure isgenerally directed to incorporating ridesharing functionality directlyinto a vehicle's systems using blockchain.

In some aspects, the integration of ridesharing functionality with avehicle and with a vehicle's using blockchain may be contrasted with amobile device-based ridesharing approach, where a vehicle and avehicle's devices are not solicited for input and may not carry outvarious ridesharing tasks. Further, the disclosure describes theexchange of messages between user devices, vehicle devices, sensors, andenvironmental devices (e.g., infrastructural devices, third-party mobiledevices, and the like) that can be recorded on the blockchain. Suchmessage may include vehicle status information (e.g., textualdescriptions that the vehicle is heading to a given rideshare pickuplocation, that an expected rider is entering the vehicle, that thevehicle is progressing toward a destination, and the like). Further, thevehicle status information may include vehicle location information,timestamp information associated with stops and notable events on arideshare trip, a secure link to image, video, and/or audio footage of agiven rideshare trip, and/or the like. In some examples, the disclosedsystems can use messages that address multiple users of a ridesharingservice. For example, the disclosed systems can use messages thatinclude a textual description that a given ridesharing trip is inprogress with a given first rider and that the vehicle is heading topick up a second rider.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can include panic buttons thatmay be implemented into the vehicle system (e.g., in various locationsin the cabin of the vehicle). A panic button can include an electronicdevice designed to assist in alerting somebody in emergency situationswhere a threat to persons or property exists. The activation of suchpanic buttons may send a packet of data to an entity, the dataindicating an emergency status as well as a type of emergency (e.g., amedical emergency or an emergency requiring the police). In some cases,data related to emergency (e.g., time information, transcriptions ofaudio associated with passengers of the vehicle, audiovisual footage,etc.) can be written to the blockchain. In some examples, the disclosedsystems can enable a passenger or a driver that feels threatened withthe capability to provide a discrete emergency indication that can berelayed to emergency services. For example, such an emergency indicationcan include holding two fingers in a predetermined gesture in the fieldof view of a vehicle-based camera.

In some examples, messages can be transmitted between devices associatedwith other means of transportation (e.g., public transit, scooters,bicycles, etc.) that that can be in communication with the disclosedsystems, and the messages can be recorded to the blockchain. In otheraspects, the disclosed system may also implement techniques forestablishing blockchain consensus. For example, the disclosed systemscan determine that a threshold number of first devices (e.g., devicesassociated with users of the ridesharing application, vehicle devices,and infrastructural devices) report having the same hash values for theblockchain while a given second device (e.g., a driver's device) reportshash values that are not matching the expected hash values for theblockchain. Accordingly, the disclosed systems can transmit a message tothe second device's owner (e.g., an email message, a text message toanother device associated with the second device's owner, etc.) that alikely hacking event has occurred. In other examples, if multipledevices associated with the ridesharing blockchain report back with hashvalues that do not match the expected hash values of the blockchain, thedisclosed systems may determine that a more severe security breach mayhave occurred. Accordingly, the disclosed systems can transmit an alertand/or an error message to all devices associated with the ridesharingblockchain. The disclosed systems may further specify a safety protocol(e.g., switch to a different application running in safe-mode, or use anInternet-based portal) to be followed and/or a message that must beresolved. Further, the disclosed systems can flag the vehicle and/orrideshare system's status values and determine that a backup protocol beused in processing those status values.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can be configured to selectivelypermit the recording and/or viewing of video footage (or other data). Inparticular, the recording and/or viewing of video footage may be basedon legal rules (e.g., rules determined by government entities) and/or onuser preferences. As one example, a recorded video footage may beviewable by law enforcement and associated entities (e.g., police,judges, lawyers, and/or juries) for a case (e.g., a case involving analtercation) where the events and/or fact patterns are disputed.Accordingly, the disclosed systems can generally preserve user privacywhile also ensuring the safety of passengers and the legitimacy ofvarious allegations (e.g., vomit fraud, assault, and the like).

Illustrative Embodiments

In some examples, drivers of ridesharing services can face a number ofchallenges. For example, drivers may face traffic congestion, may not beable to access high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, and may have tomanage fuel costs. Moreover, vehicles used in ridesharing applicationsmay have unused seating capacity. For example, single-occupant driversmay leave four to six seats empty during trips. While picking upadditional passenger(s) may result in a route deviation, drivers maybenefit from financial compensation and the ability to use HOV lanes.Further, social experiences in the context of transportation can resultin increased user enjoyment of the trip. Additionally, the ratio ofsingle-occupant to pooled rides can effect traffic congestion, airpollution, and accessibility and thereby influence environmentalsustainability.

With all these potential issues, drivers may not participate inridesharing even with the presence of HOV lanes. The global light-dutyvehicle fleet is at 750 million vehicles in urban areas and 1.1 billionvehicles total, and the total fleet size may double by 2050. In somescenarios, ridesharing with personal vehicles may be facilitateenvironmental protection and reduce traffic-congestion. Even with anincrease in the percentage of shared mobility services, personalvehicles may still have a relatively large presence in cities andnon-urban areas. This presence may be due to the fact that theselocations are often not optimized for dynamic shared ride services.Rideshare services today do not provide a solution due to their highcost (challenge to accessibility for low-income riders) and contributionto traffic congestion and air pollution with deadhead travel (drivingwithout a passenger).

As noted, conventional systems may rely on drivers using mobile phones.This use of mobile phones can lead to safety and trust issues, privacyissues, neglect of the experience of the rider and the driver within thevehicle, and can cause limitations on the availability of information onsupply and demand for rideshare rides. Accordingly, built-in integrationof ridesharing functionality with a vehicle can re-shape user comfortwith ridesharing and can remove some of the risky elements of theridesharing experience. For example, the disclosed systems can enableintegration with in-vehicle security-related hardware in combinationwith secure ledger systems like blockchain. This integration can offer afault-tolerant means of addressing some of the noted concernssurrounding safety and security. Further, this integration can offer afault-toleration means of addressing disputed fees while maintaininguser privacy. For example, the disclosed systems can reduce theincidence of so-called vomit fraud whereby a driver falsely claims thata rider damaged the interior and bills for a respective fee. Thedisclosed system can use in-vehicle sensors to provide the driver or afleet operator with information about the rideshare trip cost, such asfuel cost, mileage, revenue, and the like.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can improve user ridesharingexperience through integration with the human-machine interface (HMI) ofvehicles and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) controls and screens,including navigation and entertainment functions. The disclosed systemscan further use on-vehicle sensors to provide the driver or fleetoperator with information regarding rideshare trip costs (e.g., fuelcost, mileage associated with each pickup, wear-and-tear) and ridesharetrip costs relative to revenue. Further, disclosed systems can providethe driver or fleet operator with information regarding rideshare tripcosts both before the trip (estimated values) and after (actual values).

In other examples, the disclosed systems can enable vehicle support ofclean fuel and environmentally friendly powertrains while observinginfrastructure or driving range limitations. In other examples, thedisclosed systems can facilitate mass adoption of rideshare matchingalong trips such as work commute trips, road trips, or errand trips. Inparticular, the disclosed systems can facilitate the use of HOV lanesand a reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The disclosed systemscan support benefits from transportation demand management funding, witha reduction in fraudulent use. For example, the disclosed systems canfacilitate drivers obtaining a free pass from toll roads when the driverhas been verified through a real-time blockchain ledger to be currentlydriving rideshare occupants.

FIG. 1 shows an example usage scenario for increasing vehicle safety forpassengers using blockchain, in accordance with example embodiments ofthe disclosure. In particular, house 102 may include various sensorsand/or cameras that may detect individuals and animals entering andexiting the house and going to and from a vehicle. The disclosed systemsmay receive messages over a network 103 from devices associated with thehouse 102 that can report transactions describing such interactionsbetween the individuals, the house, and/or the vehicle. Further, thedevices associated with the house 102 can send confirmation messagesover a network 103 that may confirm other transactions generated byadditional devices (to be shown and described further below). Theseconfirmation messages may also be written to the blockchain 105 in orderto provide a record of transactions in confirmations.

Vehicle 104 may include various devices (e.g., surveillance systems,cameras, wireless transceivers, vehicle doors and seats with embeddedsensors, and/or the like) that may detect individuals entering andexiting the vehicle and going to and from the vehicle towards a givendestination (e.g., A house 102, work, a store, and/or the like). Thedisclosed systems may receive messages over a network 103 from devicesassociated with the vehicle 104 that can report transactions describingsuch interactions between the individuals and the vehicle. Further, thedevices associated with the vehicle 104 can send confirmation messagesthat may confirm other transactions generated by additional devices.These confirmation messages may also be written to the blockchain 105 inorder to provide a record of transactions in confirmations. For example,the vehicle 104 may confirm a transaction generated by a surveillancesystem of the house 102 indicating that a ridesharing user is travelingtowards and/or entering the vehicle 104.

The vehicle 104 can include sensors that may determine when aridesharing passenger enters or leaves the vehicle. The vehicle 104 cantherefore generate transactions describing the interaction between thepassenger and the vehicle. Further, the vehicle's sensors can sendconfirmation messages over a network 103 that may confirm othertransactions generated by additional devices. These confirmationmessages may also be written to the blockchain 105 in order to provide arecord of transactions in confirmations. For example, the vehicle'ssensor may confirm a transaction generated by a vehicle 104 indicatingthat the passenger is entering the vehicle 104 after the passenger isseated in the vehicle.

User device 112 may be used by individuals (e.g., passengers ofvehicles, bystanders, etc.) to send confirmation messages over a network103 that may confirm other transactions generated by additional devices.These confirmation messages may also be written to the blockchain 105 inorder to provide a record of transactions in confirmations. For example,the individual may use a user device 112 to confirm a transactiongenerated by a vehicle 104 indicating that the rideshare passenger isentering the vehicle 104.

The locations at which the rideshare passengers are transported to mayinclude various devices such as surveillance systems (e.g., similar tosurveillance system 116) that may monitor the interactions ofindividuals including drivers and passengers. In particular,infrastructural elements 108 and associated devices at some locationsmay be configured to transmit transactions over the network 103indicative of passengers entering a location or exiting a location,passing in a given neighborhood, etc. In other examples, infrastructuralelements 108 and associated devices at a given location may transmitperiodic transactions over the network 103 indicative of a passengers,drivers, and ridesharing vehicles (e.g., vehicle 104) spending time atthe given location. Further, the infrastructural elements 108 andassociated devices of the location can send confirmation messages over anetwork 103 that may confirm other transactions generated by additionaldevices. These confirmation messages may also be written to theblockchain 105 in order to provide a record of transactionconfirmations. For example, infrastructural elements 108 and associateddevices at a given location may confirm a transaction generated by avehicle 104 indicating that the passenger is travelling towards a givendestination.

Surveillance system 116 may be used in connection with any locationand/or infrastructural elements 108, a vehicle 104, a house 102, and/orthe like. In particular, the surveillance system 116 may monitor theactivity of individuals at a given location, within vehicle, travelingto and from a vehicle, entering or exiting a house, and/or the like. Thesurveillance system 116 may also transmit transactions over the network103 that can be written to blockchain 105. Additionally, surveillancesystem 116 may confirm transactions that were previously written byother devices to the blockchain 105. For example, the surveillancesystem of 116 associated with the house 102 can confirm a transactionindicating that the passenger has exited the house and is travelingtowards and/or entering the vehicle 104.

In various aspects, the disclosed systems can implement alternativeoptions, backup protocols, and/or additional security layers tocomplement a blockchain approach to message confirmation. For example,the disclosed systems can use devices having location and speed sensorsthat can be paired with the vehicle 104. The disclosed systems canconfigure the devices to perform confirmation and validation todetermine and verify each segment of the trip. In other examples, thedisclosed systems can configure vehicle 104 devices to encrypt videoand/or audio footage along with other information. The disclosed systemscan configure vehicle 104 devices to send the encrypted footage and/orinformation to a server (not shown) over network 103. Further, thedisclosed systems can configure the server such that only authorizedparties can have access to the information. In some examples, the driverand/or passengers may be excluded from accessing the information. In theevent that the disclosed systems detect hacking or a security breachoutside of a rideshare trip, an investigation protocol may need to befollowed. If a security breach is detected during a rideshare trip, thecorresponding rideshare features may be shut down and a manual protocolmay be followed. As an example, law enforcement may be contracted tomanually verify certain steps to ensure a safe trip and the vehicle 104may be rendered temporarily unconnected to external networks (e.g., theInternet).

The disclosed systems can verify that a trip is in progress bysynchronizing with connected infrastructural elements 108. In somecases, the disclosed systems can use the infrastructural elements 108 toenable disbursement of incentives to the driver and/or vehicle 104. Insome aspects, the disclosed systems can generate financial incentives,for example, the inclusion of a subsidized rideshare rate. In someexamples, the subsidized rates may be applied in regions where publicand/or employer transportation demand management (TDM) programs offersuch subsidies as a means of mitigating traffic congestion and reducingthe need for parking infrastructure. In other examples, the disclosedsystems can generate sustainability-related credits, for example, in anyform of blockchain-enabled rewards for ridesharing including low-carbontransportation vehicles. In some aspects, the disclosed systems cangenerate incentives that reduce the amount of time that a ridesharingvehicle 104 spends in traffic, for example, by allowing the vehicle 104to use an HOV lane, bypass toll booths, and the like. In some examples,the disclosed systems can use vehicle's 104 telemetry data to calculatea fair compensation amount from the rider to the driver. Further, thedisclosed systems can use the telemetry data to ensure that this amountdoes not drop below a fair value for distance-based depreciation,maintenance costs, fuel costs, and time costs.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can include additional ridesharepackage features for a vehicle owner and/or a fleet operator to indicatethat he or she can make a given trip (or is currently on a trip) of anysuitable trip type (e.g., work commutes, road trips, and the like). Therideshare package features can allow the driver to specify the originand destination of the trips and can allow the drivers to indicate thatthey are willing to pick up rider(s) along a route between the originand destination.

During a ridesharing mode of operation, the disclosed systems canconfigure a vehicle's 104 driver assist program to include a feature toremind the driver when they are traveling a threshold amount above aspeed limit. In other examples, the disclosed systems may include aspeed limiter to mitigate concern about reckless driving claims by therideshare rider. In addition, the disclosed system's rideshare packagecan be integrated with other relevant driver assist technologies.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can be configured to provideinformation regarding the vehicle's 104 battery electric range and/or arange and power stations for other alternative fuels (e.g., hydrogenstations). Further, the disclosed systems can inform the driver andprospective passengers of the vehicle 104 of any stops that may beneeded along a route for charging the vehicle 104. The disclosed systemscan also provide recommendations for charging locations. In someexamples, the disclosed systems can integrate rideshare functionalityinto any driver and passenger in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) and/orhuman-machine interface (HMI) for improved user experience.

In some examples, the vehicle 104 may be any suitable vehicle such as avehicle, truck, recreational vehicle (RV), boat, plane, etc., and may beequipped with suitable hardware and software that enables the vehicle104 to communicate over a network, such as a local area network (LAN).

In another embodiment, the vehicle 104 may include a variety of sensorsthat may aid the vehicle in determining its location, which may behelpful for navigation and to determine the context in which thepassengers and/or vehicle may be (e.g., in a store parking lot, at home,etc.). The sensors may include radio detection and ranging (RADAR),light detection and ranging (LIDAR), cameras, magnetometers, ultrasound,barometers, and the like. In one embodiment, the sensors and otherdevices of the vehicle 104 may communicate over a network connection, Inother embodiments, the vehicle 104 and/or a delivery vehicle maycommunicate with the user at a user device using the network connection.Examples of suitable network connections include a controller areanetwork (CAN), a media-oriented system transfer (MOST), a localinterconnection network (LIN), a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, andother appropriate connections such as those that conform with knownstandards and specifications (for example, one or more Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards, and the like).

In another aspect, diagram 100 shows satellite 130 and one or morecellular towers 132. In another embodiment, the vehicle 104 may includea transceiver, which may in turn may include one or more locationreceivers (for example, GPS receivers) that may receive location signals(for example, GPS signals) from one or more satellites 130. In anotherembodiment, a GPS receiver may refer to a device that can receiveinformation from GPS satellites (for example, satellites 130) andcalculate the vehicle's 104 geographical position. The disclosed systemscan use the locations to track the vehicle 104, provide navigationinformation, store location and timestamp information on the blockchain,and the like.

As noted, the nodes (e.g., the vehicle 104, devices of the house 102,the surveillance system 116, etc.) may be configured to communicate overa network 103, wirelessly or wired. The network 216 may include, but notlimited to, any one of a combination of different types of suitablecommunications networks such as, for example, broadcasting networks,public networks (for example, the Internet), private networks, wirelessnetworks, cellular networks, or any other suitable private and/or publicnetworks. Further, any of the communications networks may have anysuitable communication range associated therewith and may include, forexample, global networks (for example, the Internet), metropolitan areanetworks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs),or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, any of the communicationsnetworks may include any type of medium over which network traffic maybe carried including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pairwire, optical fiber, a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) medium, microwaveterrestrial transceivers, radio frequency communication mediums, whitespace communication mediums, ultra-high frequency communication mediums,satellite communication mediums, or any combination thereof.

Further, the nodes (e.g., the vehicle 104, devices of the house 102, thesurveillance system 116, etc.) may include any suitable radio and/ortransceiver for transmitting and/or receiving radio frequency (RF)signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to thecommunications protocols utilized by any of the user device and/or thevehicle devices to communicate with each other. The radio components mayinclude hardware and/or software to modulate and/or demodulatecommunications signals according to pre-established transmissionprotocols.

Although the examples described herein primarily focus on ridesharingand passenger transport applications, the disclosed systems, methods,and apparatus may also be applicable to package delivery.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram representing how blockchain can be used to recordrideshare-related transactions via devices on a network, in accordancewith example embodiments of the disclosure. Diagram 200 shows arepresentation of a network of nodes that can monitor the status of anindividual (e.g., a passenger or driver) during their variousinteractions with a vehicle, a house, a location of interest,surveillance systems, infrastructural elements, and other users. Inparticular diagram 200 shows various elements some of which are similarto the elements shown and described in connection with FIG. 1, above.The nodes can communicate with one another over a network (e.g., apeer-to-peer network) and can generate transactions in confirmations ofthe transactions, which can be written to a blockchain.

In some examples, diagram 202 shows a transaction that can be funneledinto a network and broadcasted to devices associated with each node. Forexample, a surveillance system can generate a transaction which may beindicative of a passenger entering a vehicle. This transaction may bebroadcast to devices associated a driver of the vehicle, a device of ahouse, devices at a location of business, etc. Further, more nodes thatare in proximity to the surveillance system may generate confirmationmessages for the transactions that confirm the passenger entering thevehicle. For example, a driver of the vehicle or other passengers in acarpool application can generate a confirmation message that confirmthat the passenger is entering the vehicle via their mobile devices.These confirmation messages can also be written to the blockchain.

As noted, a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 104 shown and described in connectionwith FIG. 1, above) can include a ridesharing system integrated with thevehicle. For example, the ridesharing system can be provided by anoriginal equipment manufacturer (OEM). Further, the ridesharing systemcan be configured to exchange and record messages associated with theshared rides with blockchain as described above. In some examples, themessages can include a vehicle status information, a vehicle location, atimestamp, and a secure link to audio and/or video footage of theexternal or internal environment of the vehicle during a ridesharingtrip. In some examples, the footage may be made selectively accessibleto law enforcement. In other examples, the footage may be shown onlyafter at least one occupant in the vehicle (at time of incident) legallyconsents.

In some examples, a vehicle's modem may securely upload images, videosand telemetry data, and regularly update the vehicle's status inconnection with a user application. Further, the disclosed systems canwrite the messages to the blockchain at changes in the vehicle's status.The disclosed systems can generate a status message that reflects that auser is heading to a rideshare pickup location once a rideshare matchhas been identified (e.g., by a cloud-based platform), accepted by thedriver, and the vehicle is heading to the pickup location. In someexamples, if a rideshare match occurs before the start of a trip (e.g.,a day before a trip), the disclosed systems can transmit the message tothe blockchain at the start of the trip, when the user is heading to therideshare pickup.

After the vehicle picks up a passenger, the disclosed systems can switchthe vehicle to a rideshare mode of operation. The rideshare mode caninclude operation to securely log footage (e.g., video and audiofootage) and generate status update messages for recording to theblockchain. In some aspects, the disclosed systems can determine thestatus of a rider, for example, by determining that the rider entersinto the vehicle when a door of the vehicle opens. In other examples,the disclosed systems can configure the vehicle to recognize the ridervia biometrics (e.g., facial recognition, fingerprints and/or retinascanning) prior to unlocking the door.

The disclosed systems can ascertain the status of trip in progress, forexample, by determining that a passenger's seat belt has been buckled.In some examples, the status and corresponding message associated withthe status may reflect the passenger count. For example, the disclosedsystems can generate a status and corresponding message indicating thata trip is in progress with a given rider A (one person), or that a tripis in progress with a group A (multiple people requested by rider A).

The disclosed systems can scale up the determination of passengerstatuses and corresponding messages to multi-rider and multi-groupscenarios. For example, the disclosed systems can record riders enteringand exiting the vehicle at different times. In some examples, thedisclosed systems can match additional rider(s) or groups during a trip.The number of additional rider(s) or groups may be as large as thenumber of available seats and given a threshold of allowable expectedroute deviation times for the driver and rider(s). The disclosed systemscan further determine and generate messages to reflect the status ofpassengers to reflect the current number of occupant(s) already onboard, as well as the status related to additional rider(s). Forexample, the disclosed systems can generate messages to indicate that atrip is in progress with a given first rider, and that the vehicle isheading to a rideshare pickup location for a second rider.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can determine and generatemessages indicating that the status of the trip as a rideshare trip hasended for each rider after that rider has left the vehicle. For example,the disclosed systems can detect that the rider is exiting the vehiclevia a camera or via any suitable sensor recognition system along with acomputer vision algorithm. The disclosed systems can detect that therider is exiting the vehicle at least because the disclosed systems canrecognize, through a controller area network (CAN), that a passenger'sseat belt has been unbuckled and that the rider has closed the door.

In some examples, the disclosed systems may handle certain special casesrelated to ridesharing. For example, the disclosed systems can determinea change in the real-time pickup or drop-off location from thedesignated pickup or drop-off location. Accordingly, the disclosedsystems can trigger a safety mechanism to request support by lawenforcement. For safety and emergency situations, the disclosed systemscan include panic buttons. The safety mechanism and/or the panic buttonscan send a packet of data through the blockchain ledger indicating thestatus as an emergency and the type as either a medical emergency or apolice emergency. In other examples, the disclosed systems can configurea physical and/or a digital panic button in the vehicle (for example ondisplays of an infotainment system, and/or on the mobile application)that can be used in cases where medical support or police support may beneeded. For example, the physical and/or a digital panic button can beused during when a rideshare user is having a medical emergency and thedriver may need to quickly contact emergency services such as anambulance.

In some examples, in the event of a dispute where either a rider or thedriver feels threatened and wants intervention by authorities, thedisclosed systems can provide a discrete way for a passenger or rider toseek help. In some aspects, before the rider boards the vehicle, thedisclosed systems can communicate examples of one of many possiblesignaling gestures to the rider(s) and the driver to indicate apotentially dangerous situation. For example, the disclosed systems caninclude signaling gesture that include holding two fingers in somemanner in view of a camera (but not in view of the driver). Thedisclosed systems may accept a variety of possible gestures andcombinations of gestures. In some examples, the gestures may be simpleto carry out, discrete, and not easily or accidentally signaled (e.g.,the gestures may not include commonly used gestures).

The disclosed systems can share information and messages to be recordedon the blockchain to be shared with at least a threshold number ofentities and particular types of entities in order to support consensus.In some examples, the disclosed systems may configure the entities tovalidate vehicle information, and may receive a copy of the blockchainand the blockchain information and/or messages to be added to theblockchain. Further, the disclosed systems can configure the entities toperform a verification step to ensure that the hash values associatedwith the information and/or entities adding the messages and/orinformation match when queried. Example entities can include the mobiledevices of rider(s) on board the vehicle as well as well as mobiledevices of upcoming riders, various devices associated with the vehicleitself (e.g., surveillance systems, sensors, infotainment systems, andthe like). In some examples, it may desirable for the vehicle tovalidate that a ridesharing service has been provided as expected, forexample, in cases where ridesharing is subsidized. In order to validatethe ridesharing service, the rideshare rider's mobile device sensors mayneed to have agreement with the vehicle's sensors (e.g., a GPS locationand/or speed of the vehicle within some acceptable error bound). In someexamples, the other entities can include connected vehiclesparticipating on a ridesharing platform or on separate platforms (e.g.,scooters, bicycles, rideshares, micro transit, public transit, orprivately-owned vehicles) with an established communications protocol.

The disclosed systems can incorporate data generated by transportationmodes a rider may have used prior to or after the rideshare on amulti-modal journey. For example, if a rider takes a rideshare trip to amicro transit shuttle, other passengers boarding (or exiting) theshuttle may confirm the transfer between rideshare and shuttle. Forexample, the disclosed systems can configure the devices of the otherpassengers on the shuttle to automatically generate messages confirmingthe transfer via a shared ridesharing application. In some aspects, thedisclosed systems can provide a copy of the blockchain to the microtransit service to verify matching hash values and to confirm that notampering has occurred.

In some examples, the disclosed systems can use entities such as roadnetwork infrastructure or refueling infrastructure on a route for agiven rideshare using an established communications protocol. Forexample, the disclosed systems can use a vehicle passing an intersectionto identify timestamp information, GPS information, speed information,and vehicle meta-identification information (e.g., license plateinformation). Further, the disclosed systems can determine that suchinformation are within an acceptable error bound and can use theinformation to establish consensus for the blockchains.

In some aspects, the disclosed systems can have error handling protocolsto take action when there is a lack of consensus between entitiesconfirming information to be written to the blockchain. For example, ifa threshold number of entities associated with the blockchain report thesame hash values and a given entity reports different hash values, thedisclosed systems can generate a message to the device owner (e.g., aninfrastructural element, a mobile phone, a vehicle, etc.) that a hackingevent may have occurred. If multiple entities associated with theblockchain report hash values that do not match the expected hash value,the disclosed systems may determine that a more severe issue occurred.Accordingly, the disclosed systems can generate an error message that isreported to the devices associated with the blockchain. The errormessage may indicate actions that may need to be taken to resolve theissue. Further, the disclosed systems can flag the ridesharing system'sstatus messages for further verification, and may indicate that backupprotocols may need to be used until the error is resolved.

In some cases, a fewer number of and/or lower diversity type of entitiesmay report confirmations to transactions on the blockchain than may beneeded to form consensus. Although the disclosed systems can beconfigured to allow consensus with only two actors, the disclosedsystems may be configured to implement greater security by having athreshold number of devices. In some example, if a threshold (count) isnot met, a backup protocol must be used. In some examples, if a largepercentage of the entities and/or devices providing verification formessages on the blockchain are on the same network or server, the riskof hacking may be increased. Accordingly, the disclosed systems canspecify a diversity threshold. For example, the disclosed systems adiversity threshold by specifying that a minimum number of separatesources (for example, at least one of smart infrastructure, rider mobiledevice, and additional roadway vehicle) may need to provide theconfirmation.

At stage 204, a driver can process a vehicles transaction. Further thedriver can also reply with the confirmation transaction that the driversin the vehicle. This transaction can be transmitted to all other nodeson the network to confirm and validate the transaction.

At stage 206, approved transactions (e.g., transactions that have beenconfirmed by other nodes in the network) can be represented as blocksand added to the blockchain which represents a public ledger. Forexample, such approved transactions may include a transaction generatedby the vehicle that the passenger is in the vehicle and/or a transactiongenerated by the device of the driver, the transaction indicative of thedriver being in the vehicle with the passenger.

As noted, at stage 208, the confirmed and approved transactions canrepresent additional blocks that are added to the blockchain serving asa public ledger. At stage 210, these additional blocks can become partof the permanent public ledger.

FIG. 3 show example process flows describing a method for ridesharingusing blockchain, in accordance with example embodiments of thedisclosure. At block 302, the method can include determining a stateassociated with a user of a ridesharing vehicle from at least one firstdevice associated with the ridesharing vehicle. In some examples, thestate can include a safety state of the user, and the method can furtherinclude receiving an indication, via a panic button, that the safetystate of the user comprises an emergency condition. Accordingly, thedisclosed systems can notify an entity about an occurrence of theemergency condition. In other examples, the disclosed systems candetermine that the state is indicative of an emergency conditionassociated with the user or the ridesharing vehicle, and notify anentity about an occurrence of the emergency condition.

At block 304, the method can include identifying a confirmation of thestate by one or more second devices. In some examples, the seconddevices comprise an infrastructural element device, another user'sdevice, or another vehicle's device in proximity to the ridesharingvehicle.

At block 306, the method can include adding a transaction to ablockchain, the transaction comprising a description of the state, theconfirmation, and a link to a trip footage of the state. In someexamples, the transaction can further include a ridesharing statusinformation comprising at least one of: an indication that theridesharing vehicle is travelling to a destination, an indication thatthe ridesharing vehicle is picking up the user from a pickup location,or an indication that the ridesharing vehicle is dropping off the userat a drop-off location.

In other examples, the transaction can further include a ridesharingvehicle's location and a timestamp of the ridesharing vehicle at thelocation. Further, the method can further include identifying that athreshold number of second devices generate respective hash valuesassociated with the blockchain, determine that the respective hashvalues do not match a predetermined hash value, and transmit a messageto the second devices indicative of an occurrence of a hacking eventassociated with the blockchain.

Further, as noted, the devices and systems (and their variouscomponents) described herein can employ AI to facilitate the multimodaldelivery and other features described herein. The components can employvarious AI-based schemes for carrying out various embodiments and/orexamples disclosed herein. To provide for or aid in the numerousdeterminations (for example, determine, ascertain, infer, calculate,predict, prognose, estimate, derive, forecast, detect, compute)described herein, components described herein can examine the entiretyor a subset of the data to which it is granted access and can providefor reasoning about or determine states of the system, environment, etc.from a set of observations as captured via events and/or data.Determinations can be employed to identify a specific context or action,or can generate a probability distribution over states, for example. Thedeterminations can be probabilistic; that is, the computation of aprobability distribution over states of interest based on aconsideration of data and events. Determinations can also refer totechniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set ofevents and/or data. For example, the AI can be used to determine thepossibility and/or preferability of making a delivery of an item to aparticular location.

Such determinations can result in the construction of new events oractions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whetherthe events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether theevents and data come from one or several event and data sources (forexample, different sensor inputs). Components disclosed herein canemploy various classification (explicitly trained (for example, viatraining data) as well as implicitly trained (for example, via observingbehavior, preferences, historical information, receiving extrinsicinformation, etc.)) schemes and/or systems (for example, support vectormachines, neural networks, expert systems, Bayesian belief networks,fuzzy logic, data fusion engines, etc.) in connection with performingautomatic and/or determined action in connection with the claimedsubject matter. Thus, classification schemes and/or systems can be usedto automatically learn and perform a number of functions, actions,and/or determinations. In some examples, the training may involve usingdata associated with previously successful and unsuccessful deliveriesof an item to a location to train the AI-based techniques in order toimprove the likelihood of successful item delivery by the deliveryvehicles and/or the AVs,

A classifier can map an input attribute vector, z=(z1, z2, z3, z4, . . ., zn), to a confidence that the input belongs to a class, as byf(z)=confidence(class). Such classification can employ a probabilisticand/or statistical-based analysis (for example, factoring into theanalysis utilities and costs) to determinate an action to beautomatically performed. In some examples, the disclosed systems may usea classifier to classify an item delivery by a delivery vehicle as beingpossible or not-easily possible, and/or to classify the item delivery bythe delivery vehicle as being preferable or not preferable. A supportvector machine (SVM) can be an example of a classifier that can beemployed. The SVM operates by finding a hyper-surface in the space ofpossible inputs, where the hyper-surface attempts to split thetriggering criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, thismakes the classification correct for testing data that is near, but notidentical to training data. Other directed and undirected modelclassification approaches include, for example, naïve Bayes, Bayesiannetworks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and/orprobabilistic classification models providing different patterns ofindependence can be employed. Classification as used herein also isinclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop modelsof priority.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an example autonomous vehicle inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Inparticular, the vehicle (for example, vehicle 104 shown and described inconnection with FIG. 1, above), may include an AV. Referring to FIG. 4,an example AV 400 may include a power plant 402 (such as a combustionengine and/or an electric motor) that provides torque to driven wheels404 that propel the vehicle forward or backward.

Autonomous vehicle operation, including propulsion, steering, braking,navigation, and the like, may be controlled autonomously by a vehiclecontroller 406. For example, the vehicle controller 406 may beconfigured to receive feedback from one or more sensors (for example,sensor system 434, etc.) and other vehicle components to determine roadconditions, vehicle positioning, and so forth. The vehicle controller406 may also ingest data form various sensors such as speed monitor andyaw sensor, as well as the tires, brakes, motor, and other vehiclecomponents. The vehicle controller 406 may use the feedback androute/map data of the route to determine actions to be taken by theautonomous vehicle, which may include operations related to the engine,steering, braking, and so forth. Control of the various vehicle systemsmay be implemented using any suitable mechanical means, such as servomotors, robotic arms (for example, to control steering wheel operation,acceleration pedal, brake pedal, etc.), and so forth. The controller 406may be configured to interact with the user by communicating with theuser's user device.

The vehicle controller 406 may include one or more computer processorscoupled to at least one memory. The vehicle 400 may include a brakingsystem 408 having disks 410 and calipers 412. The vehicle 400 mayinclude a steering system 414. The steering system 414 may include asteering wheel 416, a steering shaft 418 interconnecting the steeringwheel to a steering rack 420 (or steering box). The front and/or rearwheels 404 may be connected to the steering rack 420 via axle 422. Asteering sensor 424 may be disposed proximate the steering shaft 418 tomeasure a steering angle. The vehicle 400 also includes a speed sensor426 that may be disposed at the wheels 404 or in the transmission. Thespeed sensor 426 is configured to output a signal to the controller 406indicating the speed of the vehicle. A yaw sensor 428 is incommunication with the controller 406 and is configured to output asignal indicating the yaw of the vehicle 400.

The vehicle 400 includes a cabin having a display 430 in electroniccommunication with the controller 406. The display 430 may be atouchscreen that displays information to the passengers of the vehicleand/or functions as an input. A person having ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that many different display and input devices areavailable and that the present disclosure is not limited to anyparticular display. An audio system 432 may be disposed within the cabinand may include one or more speakers for providing information to usersthat pickup items. The audio system 432 may also include a microphonefor receiving voice inputs or detecting sounds at the residence (forexample, animal sounds). The vehicle may include a communications system436 that is configured to send and/or receive wireless communicationsvia one or more networks. The communications system 436 may beconfigured for communication with devices in the vehicle or outside thevehicle, such as a user's device, the delivery vehicles, etc.

The vehicle 400 may also include a sensor system for sensing areasexternal to the vehicle, such as user residences, animals, users,driveways, and the like (shown and described in connection with FIG. 1,above). The sensor system may include a plurality of different types ofsensors and devices such as cameras, ultrasonic sensors, RADAR, LIDAR,microphones, and/or combinations thereof. The sensor system may be inelectronic communication with the controller 406 for controlling thefunctions of various components. The controller may communicate via aserial bus or via dedicated electrical conduits. The controllergenerally includes any number of microprocessors, ASICs, ICs, memory(for example, FLASH, ROM, RAM, EPROM and/or EEPROM) and software code toco-act with one another to perform a series of operations. Thecontroller also includes predetermined data, or “look up tables” thatare based on calculations and test data and are stored within thememory. The controller may communicate with other vehicle systems andcontrollers over one or more wired or wireless vehicle connections usingcommon bus protocols (for example, CAN and LIN). Used herein, areference to “a controller” refers to one or more controllers and/orcomputer processors. The controller 406 may receive signals from thesensor system 434 and may include memory containing machine-readableinstructions for processing the data from the sensor system. Thecontroller 406 may be programmed to output instructions to at least thedisplay 430, the audio system 432, the steering system 414, the brakingsystem 408, and/or the power plant 402 to autonomously operate thevehicle 400.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of an example server architecture forone or more server(s) 500 in accordance with one or more embodiments ofthe disclosure. The server 500 illustrated in the example of FIG. 5 maycorrespond to a server that may be used by a vehicle (for example,vehicle 104 as shown and described in connection with FIG. 1, above),and/or on a network associated with any of the nodes of the network. Inan embodiment, the server 500 may include a cloud-based server that mayserve to store and transmit information (for example, messages to bestored on a blockchain, footage from trips, and the like). Some or allof the individual components may be optional and/or different in variousembodiments. In some embodiments, at least one of the servers describedFIG. 5 may be located at or in communication with an AV.

The server 500 may be in communication with an AV 540, and one or moreuser devices 550. While FIG. 5 shows an AV 550, the diagram can also beapplicable to a conventional vehicle (e.g., a vehicle used forridesharing purposes). The AV 540 may be in communication with the oneor more user devices 550. Further, the server 500, the AV 540, and/orthe user devices 550 may be configured to communicate via one or morenetworks 542. The AV 540 may additionally be in wireless communicationover one or more network(s) 542 with the user devices 550 via aconnection protocol such as Bluetooth or NFC. Such network(s) 542 mayinclude, but are not limited to, any one or more different types ofcommunications networks such as, for example, cable networks, publicnetworks (for example, the Internet), private networks (for example,frame-relay networks), wireless networks, cellular networks, telephonenetworks (for example, a public switched telephone network), or anyother suitable private or public packet-switched or circuit-switchednetworks. Further, such network(s) may have any suitable communicationrange associated therewith. In addition, such network(s) may includecommunication links and associated networking devices (for example,link-layer switches, routers, etc.) for transmitting network trafficover any suitable type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxialcable, twisted-pair wire (for example, twisted-pair copper wire),optical fiber, a HFC medium, a microwave medium, a radio frequencycommunication medium, a satellite communication medium, or anycombination thereof.

In an illustrative configuration, the server 500 may include one or moreprocessors 502, one or more memory devices 504 (also referred to hereinas memory 504), one or more input/output (I/O) interface(s) 506, one ormore network interface(s) 508, one or more sensor(s) or sensorinterface(s) 510, one or more transceiver(s) 512, one or more optionaldisplay components 514, one or more optionalspeakers(s)/camera(s)/microphone(s) 516, and data storage 520. Theserver 500 may further include one or more bus(es) 518 that functionallycouple various components of the server 500. The server 500 may furtherinclude one or more antenna(e) 530 that may include, without limitation,a cellular antenna for transmitting or receiving signals to/from acellular network infrastructure, a GNSS antenna for receiving GNSSsignals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmitting orreceiving Bluetooth signals, a NFC antenna for transmitting or receivingNFC signals, and so forth. These various components will be described inmore detail hereinafter.

The bus(es) 518 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus,an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit the exchange ofinformation (for example, data (including computer-executable code),signaling, etc.) between various components of the server 500. Thebus(es) 518 may include, without limitation, a memory bus or a memorycontroller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and soforth. The bus(es) 518 may be associated with any suitable busarchitecture.

The memory 504 of the server 500 may include volatile memory (memorythat maintains its state when supplied with power) such as RAM and/ornon-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when notsupplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory,ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage, as thatterm is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain exampleembodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access thannon-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments,certain types of non-volatile memory (for example, FRAM) may enablefaster read/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

The data storage 520 may include removable storage and/or non-removablestorage including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical diskstorage, and/or tape storage. The data storage 520 may providenon-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data.

The data storage 520 may store computer-executable code, instructions,or the like that may be loadable into the memory 504 and executable bythe processor(s) 502 to cause the processor(s) 502 to perform orinitiate various operations. The data storage 520 may additionally storedata that may be copied to the memory 504 for use by the processor(s)502 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Morespecifically, the data storage 520 may store one or more operatingsystems (O/S) 522; one or more database management systems (DBMS) 524;and one or more program module(s), applications, engines,computer-executable code, scripts, or the like. Some or all of thesecomponent(s) may be sub-component(s). Any of the components depicted asbeing stored in the data storage 520 may include any combination ofsoftware, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware mayinclude computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may beloaded into the memory 504 for execution by one or more of theprocessor(s) 502. Any of the components depicted as being stored in thedata storage 520 may support functionality described in reference tocorresponding components named earlier in this disclosure.

The processor(s) 502 may be configured to access the memory 504 andexecute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. Forexample, the processor(s) 502 may be configured to execute thecomputer-executable instructions of the various program module(s),applications, engines, or the like of the server 500 to cause orfacilitate various operations to be performed in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 502 may include anysuitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processingthe input data in accordance with stored computer-executableinstructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 502 mayinclude any type of suitable processing unit.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being storedin the data storage 520, the O/S 522 may be loaded from the data storage520 into the memory 504 and may provide an interface between otherapplication software executing on the server 500 and the hardwareresources of the server 500. 100761 The DBMS 524 may be loaded into thememory 504 and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving,storing, and/or manipulating data stored in the memory 504 and/or datastored in the data storage 520. The DBMS 524 may use any of a variety ofdatabase models (for example, relational model, object model, etc.) andmay support any of a variety of query languages.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the server 500, theinput/output (I/O) interface(s) 506 may facilitate the receipt of inputinformation by the server 500 from one or more I/O devices as well asthe output of information from the server 500 to the one or more I/Odevices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components suchas a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; anaudio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audiocapture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capturedevice, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. The I/Ointerface(s) 506 may also include a connection to one or more of theantenna(e) 530 to connect to one or more networks via a wireless localarea network (WLAN) (such as Wi-Fi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and/or awireless network radio, such as a radio capable of communication with awireless communication network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE)network, WiMAX network, 3G network, a ZigBee network, etc.

The server 500 may further include one or more network interface(s) 508via which the server 500 may communicate with any of a variety of othersystems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The networkinterface(s) 508 may enable communication, for example, with one or morewireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more web servers, andthe like via one or more networks.

The sensor(s)/sensor interface(s) 510 may include or may be capable ofinterfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, forexample, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, photocells,and so forth.

The display component(s) 514 may include one or more display layers,such as LED or LCD layers, touch screen layers, protective layers,and/or other layers. The optional camera(s) of thespeakers(s)/camera(s)/microphone(s) 516 may be any device configured tocapture ambient light or images. The optional microphone(s) of thespeakers(s)/camera(s)/microphone(s) 516 may be any device configured toreceive analog sound input or voice data. The microphone(s) of thespeakers(s)/camera(s)/microphone(s) 516 may include microphones used tocapture sound.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications,computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 5as being stored in the data storage 520 are merely illustrative and notexhaustive and that processing described as being supported by anyparticular module may alternatively be distributed across multiplemodule(s) or performed by a different module.

It should further be appreciated that the server 500 may includealternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmware componentsbeyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure.

The user device 550 may include one or more computer processor(s) 552,one or more memory devices 554, and one or more applications, such as avehicle application 556. Other embodiments may include differentcomponents.

The processor(s) 552 may be configured to access the memory 554 andexecute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. Forexample, the processor(s) 552 may be configured to execute thecomputer-executable instructions of the various program module(s),applications, engines, or the like of the device to cause or facilitatevarious operations to be performed in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 552 may include anysuitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processingthe input data in accordance with stored computer-executableinstructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 552 mayinclude any type of suitable processing unit.

The memory 554 may include volatile memory (memory that maintains itsstate when supplied with power). Persistent data storage, as that termis used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain exampleembodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access thannon-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments,certain types of non-volatile memory (for example, FRAM) may enablefaster read/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

Referring now to functionality supported by the user device 550, the AVapplication 556 may be a mobile application executable by the processor552 that can be used to present options and/or receive user inputs ofinformation related to the disclosed embodiments. In addition, the userdevice 550 may communicate with the AV 540 via the network 542 and/or adirect connect, which may be a wireless or wired connection. The userdevice 550 may include a camera, scanner, bio reader or the like tocapture biometric data of a user, perform certain processing step on thebiometric date, such as extracting features from captured biometricdata, and then communicating those extracted features to one or moreremote servers, such as one or more of cloud-based servers.

The autonomous vehicle 540 may include one or more computer processor(s)560, one or more memory devices 562, one or more sensors 564, and one ormore applications, such as an autonomous driving application 566. Otherembodiments may include different components. The autonomous vehicle 540may additionally be in wireless communication 546 with the user device550 via a connection protocol such as Bluetooth or Near FieldCommunication.

The processor(s) 560 may be configured to access the memory 562 andexecute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. Forexample, the processor(s) 560 may be configured to execute thecomputer-executable instructions of the various program module(s),applications, engines, or the like of the device to cause or facilitatevarious operations to be performed in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 560 may include anysuitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processingthe input data in accordance with stored computer-executableinstructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 560 mayinclude any type of suitable processing unit.

The memory 562 may include volatile memory (memory that maintains itsstate when supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM)and/or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even whennot supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory,ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage, as thatterm is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain exampleembodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access thannon-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments,certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable fasterread/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications,computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 5as being stored in the data storage 520 are merely illustrative and notexhaustive and that processing described as being supported by anyparticular module may alternatively be distributed across multiplemodule(s) or performed by a different module.

It should further be appreciated that the server 500 may includealternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmware componentsbeyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous othermodifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processingcapabilities described with respect to a particular device or componentmay be performed by any other device or component. Further, whilevarious illustrative implementations and architectures have beendescribed in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous othermodifications to the illustrative implementations and architecturesdescribed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations ofmeans for performing the specified functions, combinations of elementsor steps for performing the specified functions, and program instructionmeans for performing the specified functions. It will also be understoodthat each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may beimplemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems thatperform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations ofspecial-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

A software component may be coded in any of a variety of programminglanguages. An illustrative programming language may be a lower-levelprogramming language such as an assembly language associated with aparticular hardware architecture and/or operating system platform. Asoftware component comprising assembly language instructions may requireconversion into executable machine code by an assembler prior toexecution by the hardware architecture and/or platform.

A software component may be stored as a file or other data storageconstruct. Software components of a similar type or functionally relatedmay be stored together such as, for example, in a particular directory,folder, or library. Software components may be static (for example,pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (for example, created or modifiedat the time of execution).

Software components may invoke or be invoked by other softwarecomponents through any of a wide variety of mechanisms. Invoked orinvoking software components may comprise other custom-developedapplication software, operating system functionality (for example,device drivers, data storage (for example, file management) routines,other common routines and services, etc.), or third-party softwarecomponents (for example, middleware, encryption, or other securitysoftware, database management software, file transfer or other networkcommunication software, mathematical or statistical software, imageprocessing software, and format translation software).

Software components associated with a particular solution or system mayreside and be executed on a single platform or may be distributed acrossmultiple platforms. The multiple platforms may be associated with morethan one hardware vendor, underlying chip technology, or operatingsystem. Furthermore, software components associated with a particularsolution or system may be initially written in one or more programminglanguages but may invoke software components written in anotherprogramming language.

Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto aspecial-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particularmachine, such that execution of the instructions on the computer,processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus causes one ormore functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams to beperformed. These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct acomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function ina particular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means that implement one or more functions oroperations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements orsteps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus toproduce a computer-implemented process.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific featuresor acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosedas illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditionallanguage, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,”unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include,certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditionallanguage is not generally intended to imply that features, elements,and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or thatone or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with orwithout user input or prompting, whether these features, elements,and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particularembodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: at least one memory devicethat stores computer-executable instructions; and at least one processorconfigured to access the at least one memory device, wherein the atleast one processor is configured to execute the computer-executableinstructions to: determine a first state associated with a user of aridesharing vehicle from at least one second device associated with theridesharing vehicle; identify a first confirmation of the first state byone or more third devices; add a first transaction to a blockchain, thefirst transaction comprising a first description of the first state, thefirst confirmation, and a link to a trip footage of the first state;determine a second state associated with the user from the seconddevice; identify a second confirmation of the first state by the one ormore third devices; and add a second transaction to the blockchain, thesecond transaction comprising a second description of the second stateand the second confirmation.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the oneor more third devices comprise an infrastructural element device,another user's device, or another vehicle's device in proximity to theridesharing vehicle.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one ofthe first state or the second state comprises a safety state of theuser.
 4. The device of claim 3, further comprising computer-executableinstructions to: receive, by the device, an indication via a panicbutton, that the safety state of the user comprises an emergencycondition; and notify an entity about an occurrence of the emergencycondition.
 5. The device of claim 1, further comprisingcomputer-executable instructions to: determine that at least one of thefirst state or the second state is indicative of an emergency conditionassociated with the user or the ridesharing vehicle; and notify anentity about an occurrence of the emergency condition.
 6. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the first transaction further comprises a ridesharingstatus information comprising at least one of: an indication that theridesharing vehicle is travelling to a destination, an indication thatthe ridesharing vehicle is picking up the user from a pickup location,or an indication that the ridesharing vehicle is dropping off the userat a drop-off location.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the firsttransaction further comprises the ridesharing vehicle's location and atimestamp of the ridesharing vehicle at the location.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the computer-executable instruction to identify thefirst confirmation of the first state comprise computer-executableinstruction to: identify that threshold number of third devices generaterespective hash values associated with the blockchain; determine thatthe respective hash values do not match a predetermined hash value; andtransmit a message to the third devices indicative of an occurrence of ahacking event associated with the blockchain.
 9. A method, comprising:determining a state associated with a user of a ridesharing vehicle fromat least one first device associated with the ridesharing vehicle;identifying a confirmation of the state by one or more second devices;and adding a transaction to a blockchain, the transaction comprising adescription of the state, the confirmation, and a link to a trip footageof the state.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more seconddevices comprise an infrastructural element device, another user'sdevice, or another vehicle's device in proximity to the ridesharingvehicle.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the state comprises a safetystate of the user, and the method further comprises: receiving anindication, via a panic button, that the safety state of the usercomprises an emergency condition; and notifying an entity about anoccurrence of the emergency condition.
 12. The method of claim 9,further comprising computer-executable instructions to: determine thatthe state is indicative of an emergency condition associated with theuser or the ridesharing vehicle; and notify an entity about anoccurrence of the emergency condition.
 13. The method of claim 9,wherein the transaction further comprises a ridesharing statusinformation comprising at least one of: an indication that theridesharing vehicle is travelling to a destination, an indication thatthe ridesharing vehicle is picking up the user from a pickup location,or an indication that the ridesharing vehicle is dropping off the userat a drop-off location.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein thetransaction further comprises a ridesharing vehicle's location and atimestamp of the ridesharing vehicle at the location.
 15. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the method further comprises: identify that thresholdnumber of second devices generate respective hash values associated withthe blockchain; determine that the respective hash values do not match apredetermined hash value; and transmit a message to the second devicesindicative of an occurrence of a hacking event associated with theblockchain.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storingcomputer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to perform operations comprising: determining astate associated with a user of a ridesharing vehicle from at least onedevice associated with the ridesharing vehicle; identifying aconfirmation of the state by one or more second devices; and adding atransaction to a blockchain, the transaction comprising a description ofthe state, the confirmation, and a link to a trip footage of the state.17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theone or more second devices comprise an infrastructural element device,another user's device, or another vehicle's device in proximity to theridesharing vehicle.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 16, wherein the state comprises a safety state of the user, andthe non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprisescomputer-executable instructions to: receive, by the device, anindication via a panic button, that the safety state of the usercomprises an emergency condition; and notify an entity about anoccurrence of the emergency condition.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprisingcomputer-executable instructions to: determine that the state isindicative of an emergency condition associated with the user or theridesharing vehicle; and notify an entity about an occurrence of theemergency condition.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 16, wherein the transaction further comprises a ridesharing statusinformation comprising at least one of: an indication that theridesharing vehicle is travelling to a destination, an indication thatthe ridesharing vehicle is picking up the user from a pickup location,or an indication that the ridesharing vehicle is dropping off the userat a drop-off location.